Impact of climate change on solar irradiation and variability over the Iberian Peninsula using regional climate models

As solar energy will be an increasingly important renewable energy source in the future years, the study of how climate change affects both temporal and spatial variability is very important. In this paper, we study future changes of the solar radiation resource in the Iberian Peninsula (IP) through a set of simulations from ESCENA project until mid-century. The evaluation of the simulations against observations indicates contrasting biases for the different regional climate models (RCMs) in terms of solar irradiation amount and its interannual variability. We propose a diagnostic for the quality of solar energy resource, in which the gridpoints are classified in four categories depending on the combination of solar irradiation amount and variability. The observed large percentage of points in the optimal category (high irradiation/low variability) in the IP is captured by the RCMs in general terms. The analysis of scenarios indicates a future increase in solar irradiation, although not all scenarios agree in the geographical distribution of this increase. In most projections, a shift is projected from the category with optimal resource quality towards the category with high irradiation/high variability, pointing to a certain quality loss in the solar resource. This result is not general, as a few scenarios show an opposite result. The exceptions are not linked to a particular GCM or emissions scenario. Finally, results from a first approximation to the issue of the ability of solar energy to cover power demand peaks in summer show important differences between regions of the IP. The spatially-averaged correlation of solar irradiation and summer surface temperatures for the whole IP is rather high, which is a positive result as the strong interconnections of the power grid within the IP could allow a distribution of solar power surpluses in certain regions for such high-temperature episodes

Evaluating Opportunities to Enhance Hoosier State Train Ridership through a Survey of Riders’ Opinions and an Assessment of Access to the Line

Passenger rail is an integral part of intercity transportation networks, especially in areas where residents do not have access to a car or there are not any other options for intercity travel. The Hoosier State Train (HST) line connects five stations in Indiana with Illinois. Since 2013, the HST line faced the probability of discontinuation many times. In 2015, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) reached an agreement with Iowa Pacific Holdings, forming a very unique public-private partnership, with a shared vision to improve on-time performance, improve speed and maintain a reliable schedule, increase ridership, and provide better on-board amenities. This study conducted an on-board survey of HST riders’ opinions in October and November 2016. A total of 908 responses were collected (response rate of 85%). The results showed that HST impacts not only counties in Indiana with a station but also counties without a station; approximately one out of five respondents reported that they traveled more than 30 miles to reach a station. A stronger intention to ride the train in the short and long run since 2015 was also reported. Additionally, safety, amenities, and cost were ranked as the most important attributes when choosing to travel on an intercity rail, while reliability, flexibility, and convenience were ranked lower for intercity rail. Recommendations and best practices on addressing a possible gap into the first and last mile travel options for intercity rail riders as well as making parking enhancements around the stations were shared with INDOT to enhance ridership

Contribución al estudio de la utilización selectiva por Apis mellifera L. de la flora local en un colmenar del NW de la Península Ibérica: (Galicia)

Contribution at the study of the selective utilization for Apis melltfera L. of the local flora in one apyary in the NW of Spain. In this work, we have determined the selective utilizatión of the pollen collection by Api.s inellifera in the species of the sub-humed mediterranean (in accordance with climatic index of Allué) zone of Galicia (NW of Spain), throughout sampling pollen loud at the hives. This was quantified the different plant used by honey bees, analyzing the relative importance of them.En el presente trabajo se ha estudiado la apetencia selectiva que Apis mellifera hace de las especies de la vegetación mediterránea subhúmeda de tendencia centroeuropea (según los índices climáticos de Allué) en Galicia (NW de España), en su recolección de polen, mediante el muestreo sistemático de cúmulos de polen corbicular. Ello ha permitido diagnosticar y cuantificar las especies preferidas y determinar la importancia relativa de cada una de ellas

Silvopastoral Systems: Analyses of an Alternative to Open Swards

Silvopasture is a sustainable land use management practiced in most continents in the world including parts of southern Europe, but is not broadly used in northern and western Europe. The importance of this practice has been recognised and the last draft of the EU regulation by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/capreform/rurdevprop_en.pdf) includes specifically funding for establishment of agroforestry practices in Europe. This paper discusses the advantages of managing semi intensive grassland within a silvopastoral system from an ecological, productive and social point of view in the south, south-central and western countries of Europe

Ethnic differences in the adaptation rate of HIV gp120 from a vaccine trial

Differences in HIV-1 gp120 sequence variation were examined in North American volunteers who became infected during a phase III vaccine trial using the rgp120 vaccine. Molecular adaptation of the virus in vaccine and placebo recipients from different ethnic subgroups was compared by estimating the d(N)/d(S )ratios in viruses sampled from each individual using three different methods. ANOVA analyses detected significant differences in d(N)/d(S )ratios among races (P < 0.02). gp120 sequences from the black individuals showed higher mean d(N)/d(S )ratios for all estimators (1.24–1.45) than in other races (0.66–1.35), and several pairwise comparisons involving blacks remained significant (P < 0.05) after correction for multiple tests. In addition, black-placebo individuals showed significantly (P < 0.02) higher mean d(N)/d(S )ratios (1.3–1.66) than placebo individuals from the other races (0.65–1.56). These results suggest intrinsic differences among races in immune response and highlight the need for including multiple ethnicities in the design of future HIV-1 vaccine studies and trials